JP2019039055A - Vacuum treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vacuum treatment apparatus capable of continuously providing a various vacuum treatment on one side of a sheet-shaped substrate while circulating a periphery around a drum without enlarging a vacuum chamber.SOLUTION: An apparatus includes multiple partitions wall 4 partitioning multiple treatment spaces 16 which are arranged around a drum 2 in a vacuum chamber 1 and partitioned each other, and a treatment unit 6 which is mounted to a fitting opening 17 of the vacuum chamber so as to face each treatment space. The treatment unit has a supporting unit 61 which can open/close the opening fitting in contact with an outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber, and vacuum pump P2 which is directly mounted to the supporting unit and evacuates the treatment space via an exhaust port 61a, and is integrally held by a freely-movable bogie 5, 5between a mounting position in which the fitting opening can be opened/closed and a retrieval position away from the mounting position in one direction of a drum axial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus. More specifically, the present invention has a vacuum chamber that accommodates a drum on which a sheet-like base material is wound and that can form a vacuum atmosphere. It is related with what performs various vacuum treatments continuously on one side of the substrate.

  For example, since a resin sheet-like base material has flexibility and good workability, a predetermined thin film such as a predetermined metal film or an oxide film is formed on one surface thereof in a vacuum atmosphere. It is known to form an electronic component or an optical component by forming a film in multiple layers, or by performing etching or heat treatment. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that various types of vacuum processing can be continuously performed on one surface of a sheet-like base material. This has a vacuum chamber capable of forming a vacuum atmosphere, which accommodates a drum on which a sheet-like substrate is wound. In the vacuum chamber, a plurality of partition walls are usually fixedly arranged in order to divide a plurality of processing spaces that are isolated from each other around the drum. For example, so-called gas contamination during vacuum processing is generated as much as possible. I try to suppress it. Then, processing units for performing various types of vacuum processing are detachably attached to the wall surface of the vacuum chamber so as to face each processing space.

  By the way, in the vacuum processing apparatus, it is generally known that an exhaust passage that leads from each processing space to the vacuum pump is separately provided in the vacuum chamber in order to evacuate each processing space independently. There is a problem that the volume in the vacuum chamber becomes large. In addition, depending on the position where the exhaust passage is provided, it is necessary to increase the height position from the installation surface of the vacuum processing apparatus to the drum or the processing unit, which causes a problem that workability at the time of maintenance is deteriorated, for example. In this case, it is conceivable to provide a so-called pit on the floor and install the vacuum processing apparatus, but the equipment cost increases. Furthermore, if an exhaust passage is provided in the vacuum chamber, the processing space between the drum and the film forming unit cannot be exhausted isotropically with a simple configuration. For example, the processing unit can be configured as an evaporation source, a sputtering cathode, or the like. When forming a film unit while introducing a reaction gas, it is disadvantageous for achieving uniformity of the film quality of the film formed on the substrate.

JP 2013-194253 A

  In view of the above points, the present invention can continuously perform various types of vacuum processing on one surface of a sheet-like substrate while circulating around the drum without enlarging the vacuum chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum processing apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a vacuum chamber capable of forming a vacuum atmosphere that accommodates a drum on which a sheet-like base material is wound is provided. The vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention for continuously performing various vacuum processes on one surface includes a plurality of partition walls that partition a plurality of processing spaces isolated from each other around the drum in the vacuum chamber, A plurality of processing units that are detachably mounted through mounting openings provided on the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber so as to face the processing spaces, respectively, and perform vacuum processing on the sheet-like base material, Each of the processing units contacts the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber so as to close the mounting opening, and is directly attached to the support, and the processing space passes through the exhaust port formed in the support. Vacuum exhaust A vacuum pump, and at least two processing units are provided between an attachment position at which the attachment opening can be closed by the support and a retracted position separated from the attachment position in one axial direction of the drum. It is characterized by being held together with a cart that can be moved forward and backward.

  According to the present invention, since a structure in which a vacuum pump such as a turbo molecular pump is directly attached to the support is adopted, there is no need to separately provide an exhaust passage for guiding the vacuum pump from each processing space in the vacuum chamber, The volume in the vacuum chamber can be made as small as possible, and the height position from the installation surface of the vacuum processing apparatus to the drum and the processing unit can be lowered (lowering the floor). Moreover, since each processing space is evacuated by a vacuum pump directly attached to the support, it is easy to realize a configuration for isotropically evacuating the processing space, which is advantageous.

  By the way, if the processing unit is a deposition unit such as a vapor deposition source or a sputtering cathode, and a film forming process is performed on a sheet-like base material in a vacuum chamber, the film is also deposited on the partition walls and the drum. For this reason, it is necessary to periodically perform maintenance for opening the vacuum chamber to the atmosphere and returning the vacuum processing apparatus to the initial state. Here, in the case where the partition wall is fixedly disposed in the vacuum chamber as in the above-described conventional example, it is common to separately provide a deposition preventing plate for preventing film deposition on the partition wall. In addition, it is troublesome to perform the desorption operation in the vacuum chamber, and it is also necessary to perform the film removal operation of the drum while avoiding each partition wall.

  Therefore, in the present invention, each of the partition walls is defined as a partition position that exists in the vacuum chamber and defines the processing space, and another retreat position that is spaced from the partition position to the other in the axial direction of the drum. It is preferable to be held together by another cart that can move forward and backward.

  According to the present invention, when performing maintenance for opening the vacuum chamber to the atmosphere and returning the interior to the initial state, when the other carriage is moved from the partition position to the other in the axial direction and reaches another retraction position, The partition held by the carriage is taken out into a wide space outside the vacuum chamber. Thereby, maintenance such as removal of the film deposited on the partition wall or replacement of the partition wall itself can be performed with good workability in a space where there are no interfering parts. It should be noted that a protective plate (including a film-like one) can be provided on the part of the partition wall where the film can be deposited. You may make it replace every. On the other hand, after each bulkhead is detached from the vacuum chamber, the carriage is moved from the attachment position to the other axial direction, and when it reaches the retracted position, the processing unit held by the carriage is taken out to a wide space outside the vacuum chamber. . In this case, since the configuration in which the carriage is taken out in the opposite direction to the other carriages is adopted, maintenance on the processing unit such as replacement of the target and filling of the evaporation material can be performed with good workability simultaneously with maintenance on the partition wall. In addition, when both the carriages are moved to the retracted position, only the drum remains in the vacuum chamber, so that maintenance such as removal of the film deposited on the drum can be performed with good workability.

  In the present invention, a first posture in which the mounting opening can be closed by the support at the mounting position, and a second posture in which the surface of the support that comes into contact with the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber faces vertically upward. It is preferable to include posture changing means for changing the posture of the processing unit. According to this, if the processing unit is set to the second posture, the processing unit can move the other carriage without interfering with the wall surface of the vacuum chamber, and maintenance such as target replacement in the second posture. Can be carried out with good workability and is advantageous. Note that when a plurality of processing units are provided around the drum, any of the processing units may be provided through an attachment opening formed on the inclined surface on the lower side in the vertical direction. In such a case, it is preferable that the posture changing means is configured such that the processing unit takes a third posture that does not hinder the movement of another carriage.

The front view of the vacuum processing apparatus of embodiment of this invention shown in the state which took out some film-forming units from the vacuum chamber. Sectional drawing which follows the II-II line | wire of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the III-III line | wire of FIG. 1 shown in the state which took out the film-forming unit and the partition. The fragmentary perspective view seen from the partition side corresponding to FIG. The perspective view seen from the film-forming unit side corresponding to FIG. The partial expanded sectional view of FIG. 2 which shows a film-forming unit.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the processing unit is a film forming unit that enables film formation by sputtering, and four film forming units are provided around the drum to form a multilayer film on the sheet-like substrate Sw. The embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention will be described taking the case as an example. In the following, it is assumed that the drum is accommodated in the vacuum chamber in a posture in which the axial direction of the drum coincides with the horizontal direction, “up”, “down” as the vertical direction, and “right” as the axial direction, Directions such as “left” are based on FIG. In this case, one side in the axial direction of the drum corresponds to the right side in FIG. 1, and the other side in the axial direction corresponds to the left side in FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the vacuum processing apparatus VM is installed on a flat floor F where there is no so-called pit other than for rails, which will be described later, has a substantially pentagonal outline, and is on one side in the axial direction ( 1 is provided with a vacuum chamber 1 in which the right side surface of FIG. 1 and the film forming unit mounting surface are opened. The vacuum chamber 1 has an upper surface that is horizontal (in this case, one top of the vacuum chamber 1 is positioned vertically downward) by a support member 11a erected on an extending portion 11 formed on the upper surface. It is supported at a predetermined height position from the floor surface F. Further, around the vacuum chamber 1, a pedestal Tr supported by a leg portion Tl is provided at a position higher than the upper surface of the vacuum chamber 1, and electrical components and wiring cables necessary for the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus VM can be arranged. I am doing so. In the upper space 12 of the vacuum chamber 1 including the inside of the extending portion 11, the sheet-like substrate Sw transferred from the outside is guided to the drum 2 described later, and the sheet-like substrate Sw that circulates around the drum 2 is supplied. A plurality of guide rollers Gr for transferring to the outside are arranged (see FIG. 2). Although not specifically illustrated and described, the upstream vacuum chamber and the downstream vacuum chamber are connected to the vacuum chamber 1 from a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. In this case, a sheet-like base material Sw is wound around the upstream vacuum chamber, a feeding roller for feeding out the sheet-like base material Sw at a constant speed is provided, and the downstream vacuum chamber is provided with a vacuum chamber 1. A take-up roller is provided for winding the film-formed sheet-like base material Sw formed by circling around the drum 2. Since a known mechanism can be used as a mechanism for feeding the sheet-like base material Sw and winding it, a detailed description is omitted here. The top plate 13 of the vacuum chamber 1 is formed to be freely opened and closed by an actuator 13a, and can perform operations such as winding and maintenance of the sheet-like substrate Sw on the drum 2 and the guide roller Gr from the gantry Tr. I can do it.

  A first vacuum pump P1 composed of a turbo molecular pump, a rotary pump, or the like is installed on the gantry Tr so that the vacuum chamber 1 can be evacuated. Further, a pair of support bases 14a and 14b are vertically suspended at a predetermined upper position in the vacuum chamber 1 in the axial direction, and a sheet-like base material Sw is interposed between the support bases 14a and 14b. A drum 2 around which is wound is rotatably supported via a rotating shaft 21 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the height position from the floor surface F to the rotating shaft 21 of the drum 2 is appropriately set in consideration of maintenance on the peripheral surface of the drum 2 by the operator's hand. The drum 2 may include a mechanism for heating or cooling the sheet-like base material Sw. A drive motor Dm is fixedly disposed on the atmospheric side wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 facing the one support base 14a located on one side in the axial direction of the drum 2 (see FIG. 3), and the drive shaft Df of the drive motor Dm is the drum. The drum 2 is connected to the two rotation shafts 21 so that the drum 2 can be rotationally driven at a constant speed. In addition, you may attach to the drive shaft Df the function which can flow the heat medium provided to the heating-cooling mechanism of the base material Sw which is a function of the drum 2. In this case, although not particularly illustrated, it is necessary to provide a pipe (for example, a flexible pipe) through which the heat medium can flow in and out from the vicinity of the drive motor Dm on the atmosphere side.

Thus no matter the driving motor Dm to the first advancing and retracting the carriage 5 ₁ described later, it was fixedly disposed on the atmosphere side wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 of one of the support base 14a side, a second carriage 5 ₂ described _later, 5 After moving ₃ to the retracted position, particularly when performing the maintenance work of the film forming units 6c and 6d, the operator can perform the maintenance work without receiving the interference of the drive motor Dm. Note that when there is a pipe through which the heat medium can flow in and out, the operator receives further interference, but with this configuration, the function can be added without receiving the interference. Moreover, compared with the other of the support base 14b located axially other side, one of the support table 14a is the outer dimensions can be the same, an opening amount corresponding to the barrier ribs associated with the first carriage 5 _1, as a beam Therefore, depending on the weight of the drive motor Dm, one support base 14a may be reinforced by a rib or the like.

Further, the peripheral edge of the opening on one side in the axial direction of the vacuum chamber 1 (hereinafter referred to as “mounting opening 15”) is in contact with the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 through a vacuum seal such as an O-ring (not shown). cover 3 that closes the attachment opening 15 is detachably attached by interlocking the forward and backward of the first carriage 5 _1, it has a vacuum chamber 1 can be held airtight (see FIG. 4). Although not particularly illustrated, the cover 3 is also formed with an opening through which the drive motor Dm is inserted. When the cover 3 is attached to the attachment opening 15, the drive motor Dm maintains the airtight state of the vacuum chamber 1. It protrudes outside the vacuum chamber 1. Further, four partition walls 4 for partitioning the processing space 16 that is separated from each other around the drum 2 in the vacuum chamber 1 extending in the axial direction are detachably attached to the lid 3 at a first retraction position described later. The partition 4 itself plays a role as an adhesion-preventing plate. Thereby, the structure of the partition wall 4 can be simplified and reduced in size as compared with the above-described conventional example in which a deposition preventing plate is separately provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each partition wall 4 is positioned so as to partially cover the peripheral surface of the drum 2, and has a mask plate portion 41 that limits the film forming range on the sheet-like base material Sw, and substantially the axial direction. A pair of first side wall plates 42, 42 that exist on parallel surfaces and project from the both ends of the mask plate 41 toward the outside in the radial direction of the drum 2, and the first side wall plates 42, A pair of second side wall plate portions 43, 43 extending from 42 to the inner surface of the vacuum chamber 1, and provided on the other side end portion of the partition wall 4 in the axial direction of the vacuum chamber 1, and a mask plate portion 41, a first side wall plate portion The third side wall plate part (not shown) having a substantially trapezoidal shape connecting all the end faces of 42 and the second side wall plate part 43, and the same shape as the third side wall plate part, the partition wall 4 has one axial direction of the vacuum chamber 1. It is comprised with the 4th side wall board part (not shown) provided in a side edge part, each of these mask board parts 41, The first side wall plate portion 42, each second side wall plate portion 43, each third side wall plate portion, and each fourth side wall plate portion are attached to the support frame 44, forming a bowl shape having substantially no lid, and forming the film forming unit 6 The partition part of the processing space 16 except the partition part comprised by the side is comprised. Gas introduction pipes Gp1 and Gp2 are provided on the side of each first side wall plate portion 42 facing away from the processing space 16, and gas introduction pipes Gp1 and Gp2 are passed through gas holes 42a formed in the first side wall plate portions 42 and 42. In each processing space 16 (specifically, toward a target material described later), a discharge gas or a reactive gas whose flow rate is controlled can be introduced. One end of each of the gas introduction pipes Gp1 and Gp2 passes through the lid 3 and is connected to a mass flow controller in a control box described later.

Cover 3 for supporting the respective partition wall 4 is held by the first carriage 5 ₁ as another truck. The first carriage 5 ₁ is installed on a rail Ru ₁ was laid in a pit Fp provided on the floor F in the axial direction with respect to the drum 2 the lid 3 is in contact with the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 The partition 4 is positioned so that each partition 4 defines a plurality of processing spaces 16 in the vacuum chamber 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and the partition 4 is taken out from the vacuum chamber 1. It can be moved back and forth between a first retracted position (see FIG. 3) as another retracted position, which is separated from the position on one side in the axial direction of the drum 2. In order to keep the floor surface F flat, the width of the upper surface of the pit Fp is a dimension that does not allow the operator's foot to enter. For example, JISB9718 Ensure a working space that can be considered as a flat surface for the assumed worker by designing it to be 35 mm or less by reaching through the regular opening by the lower limbs described in Table 7-Safety distance to do Can do. Also, when moving the first carriage 5 ₁ between a first retracted position and the section position, to guide the partition wall 4, the guide member Gm extending axially at a predetermined position of the inner surface of the vacuum chamber 1 A plurality are provided (see FIG. 2). Then, maintenance such as cleaning and replacement of the mask plate portion 41 and the first and second side wall plate portions 42 and 43 can be performed at the first retracted position outside the vacuum chamber 1. The first carriage _{5 1} over The first control box Cu ₁ is installed. The first control box Cu ₁ includes a mass flow controller that controls the flow rate of the discharge gas and the reaction gas flowing through the gas introduction pipes Gp 1 and Gp 2, and a motor Dm that rotationally drives the drum 2, although not specifically illustrated and described. A drive mechanism and a control device for controlling the operation of these components are accommodated.

  The other outer peripheral wall portions of the vacuum chamber 1 facing the processing space 16 are provided with other attachment openings 17, and the film forming units 6 are detachably attached through the attachment openings 17. Each film forming unit 6 has the same form and is attached to the outer peripheral wall portion at the upper left in FIG. 2 as an example. On the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 through a vacuum seal 61a such as an O-ring. A support plate 61 is provided as a support that contacts and closes the mounting opening 17. Accordingly, when the film forming unit 6 is attached to the vacuum chamber 1 via the support plate 61 (that is, when the attachment opening 17 is closed by the support plate 61), the support plate 61, the mask plate portion 41, and the first side wall plate. Portions 42, 42, second side wall plate portions 43, 43, a third side wall plate portion (not shown) provided at the other axial end of the vacuum chamber 1 of the partition wall 4 (not shown), and the vacuum chamber 1 of the partition wall 4. Four processing spaces 16 isolated around the drum 2 in the vacuum chamber 1 are defined by a fourth side wall plate portion (not shown) provided at one end portion in the axial direction.

  Referring also to FIG. 6, one surface of the support plate 61 facing the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 (that is, the surface of the support plate 61 contacting the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1) extends along the axial direction. Two target units 62 are provided. Each target unit 62 has the same form, and has a cylindrical backing tube 62a and a cylindrical target material 62b extrapolated thereto. Although not particularly shown and described, the backing tube 62a is an axis. It is rotatably supported between a drive block and a support block that are erected on the support plate 61 with an interval in the direction. The target material 62b is appropriately selected according to the composition of the film to be formed on the surface of the sheet-like substrate Sw. In addition, since the well-known thing can utilize the film-forming unit 6 itself, the detailed description beyond this is abbreviate | omitted including the film-forming method by sputtering. An exhaust port 61b is formed at the center of the other surface of the support plate 61 located on the atmosphere side during vacuum processing, and a second vacuum pump P2 made of, for example, a turbo molecular pump is directly attached so as to face the exhaust port 61b. . As a result, in addition to the first vacuum pump P1 that evacuates the vacuum chamber 1, the processing spaces 16 isolated from each other can be evacuated independently. In this case, a cryocoil Cc is built in each of the second side wall plate portions 43, 43 so that the processing space 16 can be evacuated in cooperation with the second vacuum pump P2. Thus, if the cryocoil Cc is built in each of the second side wall plate portions 43, 43, the configuration can be simplified, which is advantageous.

Further, between the target material 62b and the support plate 61, a shield plate 64 having a substantially U-shaped cross section and extending in the axial direction is provided, and plasma from the second side wall plate portions 43, 43 including the cryocoil Cc is provided. While preventing radiation, adhesion of sputtered particles is prevented. Thus, when the processing space 16 is evacuated by the second vacuum pump P2, the second vacuum pump passes through the gap between the shielding plate 64 and the second side wall plate portion 43 from the space between the target material 62b and the mask plate portion 41. The P2 is evacuated isotropically, and at this time, particularly water molecules are adsorbed by the cryocoil Cc provided in the second side wall plate portion 43, and the processing space 16 can be evacuated to a lower pressure. Here, although not shown in detail, exhaust pipes (not shown) extending from the back pressure side of the second vacuum pump P2 are connected to the collective pipe Ep (see FIG. 1), and the collective pipe Ep is connected to the gantry. The back pump (not shown) which comprises the 1st vacuum pump P1 installed in Tr is connected. Note that the common piping Ep, the coupling is provided, when moving the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ which will be described later in the retracted position, the pipe assembly Ep are separated, one part of the pipe assembly Ep second carriage It moves together with 5 ₂ and 5 ₃ .

In the present embodiment, two film forming units 6a, 6d and 6b, 6c positioned in the vertical direction of the film forming unit 6 are set as one set, and the film forming units 6a, 6d and 6b, 6c in each set are They are respectively held in the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ as two carriages. Each truck 2 ₅ 2, _{5 3,} the same, each is placed on a rail _Ru 2, Ru ₃ was laid in a pit Fp provided along the axial direction to the floor F, deposition makes the set unit 6a, 6d, 6b, and 6c are movable back and forth between a mounting position at which the mounting opening 17 can be closed by the support plate 61 and a second retracted position as a retracted position spaced apart from the mounting position in the axial direction of the drum 2. is there. The film forming unit 6 is provided with posture changing means 7 for changing the posture.

The posture changing means 7 includes a slider 71 slidably engaged with an axially long rail member 18 provided at a predetermined position on the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1, an arm portion 72 fixed to the slider 71, and an arm portion 72, and an air cylinder 74 connected to the support plate 61 through a single hinge 73. The operation rod 74a of the air cylinder 74 is rotatably connected to the support plate 61. Here, referring to FIG. 2, the upper film-forming unit 6a on the X-axis in the XZ plane with the X-axis as the horizontal direction, the Z-axis as the vertical direction, and the rotation center of the drum 2 as the origin, in 6b, when in the first position that can close the mounting opening 17 in the support plate 61 by the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ mounting position, the support plate operating rod 74a of the air cylinder 74 extends substantially in the Z-axis upward direction The position of the hinge part 73 is set so that it may be connected with 61. When the operating rod 74a is contracted by the air cylinder 74, the film forming unit 6a is rotated clockwise by the hinge 73, and the film forming unit 6b is rotated counterclockwise by the hinge 73, so that one surface of the support plate 61 is vertical. It is changed and held in the second posture facing upward in the direction (that is, the target unit 62 is on the upper side). In the second position, the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ can be forward and backward without interference of another component, also from the floor F, the film forming unit 6a, the height position to the target material 62b of 6b The height position up to the rotation center of the drum 2 is the same.

On the other hand, the lower film-forming units 6c and 6d, which are entirely in the third and fourth quadrants of the XZ plane, are attached to the mounting opening 17 formed on the inclined surface of the vacuum chamber 1 located on the lower side in the vertical direction. because attached, from the first posture capable of closing the mounting openings 17 in the support plate 61 by the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ mounting position, second position in which one face of the support plate 61 is oriented vertically upward However, the film forming units 6c and 6d interfere with the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1 and the partition walls 4 (for example, the first side wall plate portions 42 and 42, etc.) and directly from the first posture. can not take the second posture, this can not be moved from the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ mounting position to the second retracted position. Therefore, in addition to the first and second respective position, the film forming unit 6c, 6d is taken out obliquely downward from the vacuum chamber 1, the third position which does not inhibit the advance of the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ The posture changing means 7 is configured so that it can be taken. That is, in the first posture, the position of the hinge portion 73 is set so that the operation rod 74a of the air cylinder 74 extends substantially inward in the X-axis direction and is connected to the support plate 61. When the operating rod 74a is contracted by the air cylinder 74, the film forming unit 6c located in the third quadrant is rotated clockwise by the hinge 73, and the film forming unit 6d positioned in the fourth quadrant is rotated counterclockwise by the hinge 73. The second carriages 5 ₂ and 5 ₃ are moved forward and backward in this state by being rotated to take the third posture. After the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ has been moved to the second retracted position, further when extending the operating rod 74a from the third posture by the air cylinder 74, the film forming unit 6c is positioned in the third quadrant by hinges 73 The film forming unit 6d located in the fourth quadrant counterclockwise is rotated clockwise by the hinge portion 73 to be in the second posture. In this state, the height position of the film forming units 6 c and 6 d to the target material 62 b is equal to the height position to the rotation center of the drum 2.

The second carts 5 ₂ and 5 ₃ are also provided with second control boxes Cu ₂ and Cu ₃ , respectively. The second control boxes Cu ₂ and Cu ₃ are used for supplying power to the target material 62b. A power source, an output cable, a chiller unit for circulating the refrigerant in the backing tube 62a and its water piping, a gas supply pipe to the air cylinder 74, a supply source and a supply pipe for the refrigerant to the cryocoil Cc, etc. Control devices and the like for controlling the components are accommodated.

Next, a procedure for performing maintenance on the vacuum processing apparatus VM will be described. In the state of the vacuum processing apparatus VM shown in FIG. 1, the first carriage 5 ₁ compartment located, is in both the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ mounting position, the vacuum chamber 1, 4 around the drum 2 Two processing spaces 16 are defined. Then, the sheet-like base material Sw is circulated around the drum 2 in the vacuum chamber 1 in a vacuum atmosphere, and the film-forming units 6 apply the portions of the sheet-like base material Sw that pass through the processing spaces 16. A film forming process by sputtering is continuously performed. When such a film forming process is performed for a predetermined time, maintenance for returning the vacuum processing apparatus VM to the initial state, such as removal of the film deposited on the drum 2 and the partition wall 4 and replacement of the target material 62b, is performed.

In maintenance, the vacuum chamber 1 is opened to the atmosphere after the operations of the first and second vacuum pumps P1 and P2 are stopped. When the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 returns to the atmospheric pressure, first, the film forming units 6a and 6b located on the upper side are changed from the first posture to the second posture by the air cylinder 74 of the posture changing means 7, respectively. The postures of the film forming units 6c and 6d are changed from the first posture to the third posture. Then, the first carriage 5 ₁ moves from compartment located in the first retracted position, the vacuum chamber 1, the cover plate 3 and the partition wall 4 which is held by the first carriage 5 ₁ no no interfering components such as position To be taken out. At this time, the drive motor Dm remains fixed arranged regardless retreat of the first carriage 5 _1. Next, move the two second carriage ₅ 2, _{5 3} from the mounting position to the second retracted position. At this time, the collective pipe Ep is separated through the coupling, and the film forming units 6 are guided by the sliders 71 that slide on the rail members 18 of the vacuum chamber 1, and are separated from the vacuum chamber 1 and interfere with each other. Each film forming unit 6 is taken out at a position where there is no mark. Thereafter, the postures of the film forming units 6c and 6d positioned on the lower side are changed from the third posture to the second posture by the air cylinder 74 of the posture changing means 7.

First retracted position from the first carriage 5 ₁ partition position, and the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ are moved from the mounting position to the second retracted position, the first carriage 5 ₁ side, wearing the partition wall 4 maintenance such as replacement of removal or partition wall 4 itself but the film is carried out, in the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ side, the maintenance such as replacement of the target unit 62 is performed. On the other hand, in the vacuum chamber 1, removal of the film deposited on the drum 2 remaining there is performed. After completion of maintenance, reverse the above procedure, the first carriage 5 ₁ to the partition position, both the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ are respectively returned to the mounting position.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since employing the configuration to take out the first carriage 5 ₁ and both second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ in opposite directions, at the same time as maintenance of the partition walls 4, the target unit 62 Maintenance of the film forming unit 6 such as replacement can be performed with good workability. Further, a drive motor Dm irrespective of first advancing and retracting the carriage 5 _1, that is fixed arranged on the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 1, after moving the second carriage 5 _2, 5 ₃ in the retracted position, in particular the film forming unit When performing the maintenance work 6c and 6d, the operator can perform the maintenance with good workability without receiving the interference of the drive motor Dm. Further, since the operator does not enter the portion of the drive motor Dm in order to perform maintenance of the partition wall 4 from the outer surface, the workability does not deteriorate due to interference, and the apparatus layout is rational. . Moreover, in the state of being respectively move the first and second two carriages 5 _1, 5 _2, 5 ₃ to the retracted position, since the vacuum chamber 1 becomes a state in which only the drum 2 remains, wear drum 2 Maintenance such as removal of the film can be performed with good workability. Further, in this embodiment, since the configuration in which the second vacuum pump P2 is directly attached to the support plate 61 is adopted, an exhaust passage for leading from each processing space 16 to the second vacuum pump P2 is separately provided in the vacuum chamber 1. The volume in the vacuum chamber 1 can be made smaller. In addition, the vacuum chamber 1 is configured so that the height position from the floor surface F to the drum 2 and the film forming unit 6 can be lowered, and electrical parts and wiring cables necessary for the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus VM can be arranged on the frame Tr. In combination with the absence of any parts below, the floor of the vacuum chamber 1 can be lowered (that is, when the film forming units 6c and 6d take the third posture, For example, the height position from the floor surface F to the drum 2 can be set within a range where interference does not occur). In addition, since the space between the target material 62b and the mask plate 41 is evacuated isotropically to the second vacuum pump P2 through the gap between the shielding plate 64 and the second side wall plate 43, In the case where the film is formed by reactive sputtering, the film quality is uniform, which is advantageous. Furthermore, since the posture changing means 7 is provided so that the target unit 62 faces upward in the vertical direction, maintenance of the film forming unit 6 can be performed with good workability.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the film forming unit 6 that performs film formation by sputtering has been described as an example of the processing unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing unit may be used when film formation is performed by vacuum evaporation or CVD. A vapor deposition source and components for performing etching and heat treatment can be provided on the support 61. In the above embodiment, an example in which four processing units (film formation unit 6) are provided has been described as an example. However, the number of processing units is not limited to this, and is arbitrarily set. The outline of the vacuum chamber 1 is also changed as appropriate. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the posture changing means 7 has been described as an example including the arm 72 and the air cylinder 74. However, as long as the film forming unit can change the posture and maintain the state, the posture changing means 7 is particularly limited. However, other known actuators can be used.

Furthermore, the above embodiment has been described what used pipe assembly Ep having a coupling as an example, but the invention is not limited to this, the pipe assembly Ep (in whole or in part) the second carriage 5 ₂ , 53 can also be configured with a bellows tube that can be expanded and contracted according to the advancement and retraction of ₃ . According to this, it is possible to avoid the problem of dust adhesion to the seal surface (vacuum leak of the vacuum chamber 1) accompanying the desorption of the coupling, which is advantageous.

VM ... Vacuum processing apparatus, 1 ... Vacuum chamber, 16 ... Processing space, 17 ... Mounting opening (for mounting the film forming unit), 2 ... Drum, 4 ... Bulk, 5 ₁ , 5 ₂ ... Carriage, 6 ... Film forming unit (Processing unit), 61 ... Support plate (support: component of processing unit) 7 ... Posture changing means, 72 ... Arm part (constituent changing means component), 73 ... Hinge part (constituent changing means component) 74 ... Air cylinder (component of posture changing means), P2 ... Second vacuum pump (vacuum pump), Sw ... Sheet-like base material.

Claims (3)

A vacuum chamber that accommodates a drum on which a sheet-like base material is wound and that can form a vacuum atmosphere is provided, and various types are continuously provided on one surface of the sheet-like base material while circling around the drum. A vacuum processing apparatus for performing vacuum processing of
A plurality of partition walls that divide a plurality of processing spaces that are isolated from each other around the drum in the vacuum chamber, and an attachment opening provided on an outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber so as to face each processing space. In what comprises a plurality of processing units that are detachably attached and perform vacuum processing on the sheet-like base material,
Each of the processing units is in contact with the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber and can close the mounting opening, and the processing space is directly attached to the supporting body through an exhaust port formed in the supporting body. And a vacuum pump that evacuates the mounting position, wherein at least two processing units can close the mounting opening with the support, and a retracted position spaced from the mounting position in one axial direction of the drum. The vacuum processing apparatus is characterized in that it is integrally held by a carriage that can move forward and backward.   Each of the partition walls is located in the vacuum chamber and defines a processing space, and another partition position that is movable forward and backward between the partition position and another retreat position that is spaced apart from the partition position in the axial direction of the drum. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum processing apparatus is integrally held by a carriage. Between the first posture in which the attachment opening can be closed with the support at the attachment position, and the second posture in which the surface of the support that contacts the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber faces upward in the vertical direction. 3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising posture changing means for changing the posture of the unit.

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